Comparison of Divisions: Lisbon Treaty — Clause on 'parliamentary control of decisions' to remain in the Bill — 4 Mar 2008 at 22:30 with Division No. 104 on 29 Apr 2009 at 15:49
(Swap the two divisions around).
The majority Aye voters passed a motion[1] that confirmed the clauses on 'parliamentary control of decisions' (clause 6) and 'short title' (clause 7) should remain in the European Union (Amendment) Bill.
Clause 6 outlines which decisions made at the European Union (EU) level would have to be approved by parliament. This mainly relates to the passerelle clauses which enables the EU to make decisions on certain policy areas via qualified majority voting rather than unanimity.
The Tories were opposed to this clause because they felt that ministers:
-
'in referring to clause 6, which is entitled "Parliamentary control of decisions", have tried to give the impression that what is happening here is a strengthening of parliamentary control. They refer to the fact that the House and the other place will have to vote on a motion to approve some of those changes, neglecting to point out that the status quo is that an Act of Parliament has to be passed to put through treaty changes.'[2]
However, the government argued that:
-
'We went further in the Bill's provisions than any other Government anywhere in the European Union who are currently using the process of ratification. The Bill gives Parliament a power that is not given anywhere else in the treaty or for any of the passerelles: prior control over the Government's veto. The treaty does not give national Parliaments prior control of any passerelle decision and a parliamentary lock is set out in the treaty. The Bill also provides a parliamentary lock on six separate passerelles, which, under the treaty, have no parliamentary lock at all—'[3]
The European Union (Amendment) Bill implements the Lisbon Treaty into UK law. The main aims of the Lisbon Treaty were to[4]:
----
The majority of MPs voted in favour of the motion:[1]
-
This House
-
regrets the Government's recent statement[2] outlining the eligibility criteria for Gurkhas to reside in the United Kingdom;
-
recognises the contribution the Gurkhas have made to the safety and freedom of the United Kingdom for the past 200 years;
-
notes that more Gurkhas have laid down their lives for the United Kingdom than are estimated to want to live here;
-
believes that Gurkhas who retired before 1997 should be treated fairly and in the same way as those who have retired since;
-
is concerned that the Government's new guidelines will permit only a small minority of Gurkhas and their families to settle whilst preventing the vast majority;
-
further believes that people who are prepared to fight and die for the United Kingdom should be entitled to live in the country; and
-
calls upon the Government to withdraw its new guidelines immediately and bring forward revised proposals that extend an equal right of residence to all Gurkhas.
As a consequence, the alternative Government motion, which read:[3]
-
This House
-
recognises that this Government is the only one since the Second World War to allow Gurkhas and their families settlement rights to the United Kingdom;
-
notes that in 2004 the Government permitted settlement rights to Gurkhas discharged since 1997, following the transfer of the Brigade HQ from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom;
-
further notes that under these rules around 6,000 Gurkhas and family members have been welcomed to the UK;
-
acknowledges that the court judgement of September 2008 determined that the 1997 cut-off date was fair and rational, while seeking clarification of the criteria for settlement rights for those who retired before 1997;
-
further notes that on 24 April the Government published new and more generous guidelines for the settlement applications of Gurkhas who retired before 1997;
-
supports this revised guidance, which will make around 10,000 Gurkhas and family members eligible to settle in the UK;
-
further notes that the Government undertakes actively to inform those who may be eligible in Nepal of these changes and to review the impact of the new guidance within 12 months;
-
further notes that the contribution Gurkhas have made is already recognised by pensions paid to around 25,000 Gurkhas or their widows in Nepal that allow for a good standard of living there; and
-
further notes that in the year 2000 Gurkha pensions were doubled and that, earlier in April 2009, in addition to an inflationary uplift of 14 per cent., those over 80 years old received a 20 per cent. increase in their pension.
... was never voted upon.
Although this extremely rare Government defeat in an opposition day motion is not binding (has no legal force)[4] a Government minister made a statement later in the day to bring "forward the date for the determination of the outstanding applications to the end of May."[5]
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MPs for which their vote on Motion (a) differed from their inverted vote on Motion (b).
You can also see just opposite votes
between these two divisions,
or simply all the votes.
Sort by: Name | Constituency | Party | Vote (a) | Vote (b)
Name | Constituency | Party | Vote (a) | Vote (b) |
Kenneth Clarke | Rushcliffe | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Brian Binley | Northampton South | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Tim Boswell | Daventry | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Butterfill | Bournemouth West | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
James Clappison | Hertsmere | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
David Davis | Haltemprice and Howden | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Nigel Evans | Ribble Valley | Con | no |
absent |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Oliver Heald | North East Hertfordshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
David Heathcoat-Amory | Wells | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Horam | Orpington | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Michael Jack | Fylde | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Boris Johnson | Henley | Con | no |
absent |
Julie Kirkbride | Bromsgrove | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Peter Luff | Mid Worcestershire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Maples | Stratford-on-Avon | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Michael Mates | East Hampshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Francis Maude | Horsham | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Malcolm Moss | North East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
David Mundell | Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Owen Paterson | North Shropshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Stanley | Tonbridge and Malling | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
David Wilshire | Spelthorne | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
David Curry | Skipton and Ripon | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Gummer | Suffolk Coastal | Con | absent |
aye |
John Howell | Henley | Con | absent |
aye |
George Osborne | Tatton | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Shepherd | Aldridge-Brownhills | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ian Taylor | Esher and Walton | Con | absent |
aye |
Edward Timpson | Crewe and Nantwich | Con | absent |
aye |
David Simpson | Upper Bann | DUP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Jeffrey M. Donaldson | Lagan Valley | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
William McCrea | South Antrim | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Robert Wareing | Liverpool, West Derby | whilst Independent | absent |
aye |
Diane Abbott | Hackney North and Stoke Newington | Lab | aye |
aye |
Harry Cohen | Leyton and Wanstead | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Paul Farrelly | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Mark Fisher | Stoke-on-Trent Central | Lab | aye |
aye |
Joan Humble | Blackpool North and Fleetwood | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Andrew MacKinlay | Thurrock | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Gordon Marsden | Blackpool South | Lab | aye |
aye |
Robert Marshall-Andrews | Medway | Lab | aye |
aye |
Shona McIsaac | Cleethorpes | Lab | aye |
aye |
Julie Morgan | Cardiff North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Nick Palmer | Broxtowe | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Steve Pound | Ealing North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Nick Raynsford | Greenwich and Woolwich | Lab | aye |
aye |
Andy Reed | Loughborough | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Linda Riordan | Halifax | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Andrew Smith | Oxford East | Lab | aye |
aye |
Paul Truswell | Pudsey | Lab | aye |
aye |
Keith Vaz | Leicester East | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Mike Wood | Batley and Spen | Lab | aye |
aye |
John Austin | Erith and Thamesmead | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Adrian Bailey | West Bromwich West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Hilary Benn | Leeds Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Karen Buck | Regent's Park and Kensington North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Richard Burden | Birmingham, Northfield | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Colin Burgon | Elmet | Lab | aye |
absent |
Stephen Byers | North Tyneside | Lab | aye |
absent |
Martin Caton | Gower | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Michael Clapham | Barnsley West and Penistone | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Katy Clark | North Ayrshire and Arran | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Jon Cruddas | Dagenham | Lab | aye |
absent |
Jim Dobbin | Heywood and Middleton | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mike Gapes | Ilford South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ian Gibson | Norwich North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mike Hall | Weaver Vale | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Patrick Hall | Bedford | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Fabian Hamilton | Leeds North East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Heyes | Ashton-under-Lyne | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Meg Hillier | Hackney South and Shoreditch | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Jimmy Hood | Lanark and Hamilton East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Geoff Hoon | Ashfield | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Lindsay Hoyle | Chorley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Eric Illsley | Barnsley Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Siân James | Swansea East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Lynne Jones | Birmingham, Selly Oak | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Martyn Jones | Clwyd South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Peter Kilfoyle | Liverpool, Walton | Lab | aye |
absent |
Ashok Kumar | Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ivan Lewis | Bury South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Martin Linton | Battersea | Lab | aye |
absent |
Judy Mallaber | Amber Valley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Mann | Bassetlaw | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Marshall | Glasgow East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Chris McCafferty | Calder Valley | Lab | aye |
absent |
Anne McGuire | Stirling | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Michael Meacher | Oldham West and Royton | Lab | aye |
absent |
David Miliband | South Shields | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ed Miliband | Doncaster North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Anne Moffat | East Lothian | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Sandra Osborne | Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Greg Pope | Hyndburn | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Bridget Prentice | Lewisham East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Prescott | Kingston upon Hull East | Lab | aye |
absent |
Bill Rammell | Harlow | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Jamie Reed | Copeland | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Robertson | Glasgow North West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Martin Salter | Reading West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Marsha Singh | Bradford West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Anne Snelgrove | South Swindon | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Gavin Strang | Edinburgh East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Paddy Tipping | Sherwood | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Neil Turner | Wigan | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Rudi Vis | Finchley and Golders Green | Lab | aye |
absent |
Betty Williams | Conwy | Lab | aye |
absent |
Shaun Woodward | St Helens South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Anthony D Wright | Great Yarmouth | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ian Cawsey | Brigg and Goole | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Jeremy Corbyn | Islington North | Lab | absent |
aye |
Neil Gerrard | Walthamstow | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Kate Hoey | Vauxhall | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Kelvin Hopkins | Luton North | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Glenda Jackson | Hampstead and Highgate | Lab | absent |
aye |
John Martin McDonnell | Hayes and Harlington | Lab | absent |
aye |
Alan Simpson | Nottingham South | Lab | absent |
aye |
Stuart Bell | Middlesbrough | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Blunkett | Sheffield, Brightside | Lab | absent |
no |
Gordon Brown | Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Dawn Butler | Brent South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Mary Creagh | Wakefield | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Alistair Darling | Edinburgh South West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ian Davidson | Glasgow South West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Drew | Stroud | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Natascha Engel | North East Derbyshire | Lab | absent |
no |
Peter Hain | Neath | Lab | absent |
no |
Dai Havard | Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ian McCartney | Makerfield | Lab | absent |
no |
Doug Naysmith | Bristol North West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Albert Owen | Ynys Môn | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Lindsay Roy | Glenrothes | Lab | absent |
no |
Joan Ryan | Enfield North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ian Stewart | Eccles | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Jack Straw | Blackburn | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Graham Stringer | Manchester, Blackley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Kitty Ussher | Burnley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Claire Ward | Watford | Lab (minister) | absent |
tellno |
Tony Wright | Cannock Chase | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Taylor | North West Leicestershire | Lab (minister) | absent |
both |
Mike Hancock | Portsmouth South | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Paul Keetch | Hereford | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Lembit Öpik | Montgomeryshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Paul Rowen | Rochdale | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Jo Swinson | East Dunbartonshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Danny Alexander | Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey | LDem | absent |
aye |
Norman Baker | Lewes | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Barrett | Edinburgh West | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Colin Breed | South East Cornwall | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Lorely Burt | Solihull | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Menzies Campbell | North East Fife | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Nick Clegg | Sheffield, Hallam | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Lynne Featherstone | Hornsey and Wood Green | LDem | absent |
aye |
Don Foster | Bath | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Julia Goldsworthy | Falmouth and Camborne | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Evan Harris | Oxford West and Abingdon | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Laws | Yeovil | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Pugh | Southport | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Dan Rogerson | North Cornwall | LDem (front bench) | absent |
tellaye |
John Thurso | Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Phil Willis | Harrogate and Knaresborough | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Eddie McGrady | South Down | SDLP | aye |
absent |
Alasdair McDonnell | Belfast South | SDLP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Stewart Hosie | Dundee East | SNP (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Mason | Glasgow East | SNP | absent |
aye |
Sylvia Hermon | North Down | UUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
The measure of similarity between these two divisions is a calculation
based on a comparison of their votes.
There were
646 MPs who could have voted in both of these divisions,
and 19 voted the same way, with 436 voting in opposite ways.
There were 48 MPs who didn't vote in either division,
and 143 who voted in only one of them.
We invert the vote on the second division if it makes the distance closer (since the meaning of
'Aye' and 'No' are often interchangeable depending on how the question was put).
In this case, they line up on opposite sides.
An 's vote in in only one of the divisions contributes a factor of 0.2 to the distance.
The calculation runs as follows:
ratio =
[same-votes]
([same-votes] + [differing-votes] + 0.2x[abstain-in-one])
=
436
(436 + 19 + 0.2x143)
=
436
483.6
=
0.902
=
90.2 %.